Interesting news release sent out by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. The team had just played what they hope is their last game at the Dodgertown complex in Vero Beach, Fla., where they’ve had spring training since 1948. It was a nostalgic, emotional and, for many, sad time.
The news release primarily was a statement from team owner Frank McCourt and it was titled “DODGERS TO TAKE DODGERTOWN TO L.A.�
The first sentence said: “Dodger owner Frank McCourt said today that the ‘Dodgers will not leave Dodgertown; we will take Dodgertown with us to Los Angeles.’ �
But just what he means by that was very ambiguous. It sounded much more like platitudes and a sense of being and attitude than anything concrete.
A survey I happened to receive recently, however, may shed some light on McCourt’s plans.
This was a survey sent out by the Dodgers, which I received randomly, I presume, because I’ve purchased tickets online. It had many questions, mostly about how I would feel about a large development of stores, restaurants and activities in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. One of the possible names for this development was “Dodgertown.�
“As our family prepares to move from this [Vero Beach] neighborhood,� McCourt said in the statement, “it strikes us that we can incorporate so many elements of this place in our home in Los Angeles. After all, Dodger Stadium is Dodgertown, and for that matter, L.A. is Dodgertown.�
It is obvious that McCourt plans something big for the area surrounding Dodger Stadium (and if you think traffic around the parking lot is a problem now, just wait). It appears from the owner’s statement that McCourt plans to incorporate Dodgertown themes — such as, perhaps, the street signs (“Don Drysdale Drive�) — into whatever he’s planning. And whatever he’s planning appears to be huge.
Over the next four years, the survey said, the team is considering changes for the stadium and the fan experience, including “new amenities and entertainment options.�
The choices on one page of the survey did not say “There may be this� or “We might do that.� They all say “There will be.� Some may be good; some may not:
■“The outfield will feature batting cages, pitching mounds and other baseball participatory opportunities for fans of all ages.
■“The Dodgers will offer fans the largest sports shopping arcade in all of baseball — on a private closed street similar to Yawkey Way at Fenway Park and Eutaw Street at Camden Yards — as well as other retail venues.
■“There will be a dozen new restaurants, sports bars and other dining and drinking options from high end to fast and fun — and all will be open two hours before the game and stay open two hours after the game.
■“Part of the outfield wall will be opened and fans will be able to stand at the warning track and catch fly balls and collect player autographs. …
■“There will be a landscaped park that rings the entire stadium with trees, grass, benches and places to walk, sit, relax and picnic.
■“There will be a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot fully interactive Dodgers museum similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., with changing exhibits and programs about the Dodgers of today and yesteryear.�
As I said, some of it sounds intriguing and inviting; some of it is worrisome. Those who like Dodger Stadium just the way it is may recoil from the shock. Those who need something more than just baseball to entertain them on a trip to the ballpark may rejoice.
But whether you’re recoiling or rejoicing, it’s clear that Frank McCourt has something enormous planned and that he plans to unveil it all very soon.



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